Review: Meda Meeda Abbayi

Allari Naresh who has been out of form for quite a while has pinned lot of hopes on Meda Meeda Abbayi to put him back on track. But the remake of Malayalam hit 'Oru Vadakkan Selfie' turned out to be a tepid affair. The film's second half is too dramatic for our audiences tastes.

What is it about?

Sreenu (Allari Naresh) is an aspiring director who falls in love with his neighbor Sindhu (Nikhila Vimal). He takes a selfie with her while she is traveling in the same train as him. The selfie falls into wrong hands and her parents believe that she has eloped with him. Sreenu is unaware of Sindhu's whereabouts, but he has to find her to go back to his village. Where is Sindhu and what is she up to forms rest of the story.

Performances:

Allari Naresh fits the role but fails to recreate the magic of Nivin Pauly in the original. Naresh is good in his interactions with Aadi and Avasarala, but seems out of place in dramatic sequences. He is clearly not as confident as he used to be during his hay days. Nikhila Vimal is alright as the female lead. Avasarala Srinivas played a meaty role and he is apt. Hyper Aadi of Jabardast fame steals the show with his one-liners. There is nothing much to say about the rest of the cast.

Technicalities:

Prajith who directed the original couldn't make the remake with same authority. A film like this need to have native appeal and that is entirely missing in Meda Meeda Abbayi. Director did well to get the climax portions and the first half right, but faltered in the middle.

Shaan Rahman's music is generic. Theme song of the film is different and catchy. Background score is alright too. Cinematography is okay for a low budget film. Editing is not up to the mark in the second half. Production values are just okay. A better quality is expected out of an Allari Naresh's film. Dialogues are good in places, especially the ones written for Aadi.

Thumbs Up:

Hyper Aadi Dialogues

Climax portions

Thumbs Down:

Dragging Second half

Low production values

Analysis:

Main problem with the film is that it just doesn't stick to a single plot. It starts off by showing the protagonist as an aspiring filmmaker. There is a lengthy sequence where he makes a short film in the pursuit of reaching his goal. The short film copy is lost and there is no mention of it later. Why to waste an entire sequence that adds little or no value to the film?

Protagonist also goes to Hyderabad to join as an assistant director in the film industry, but that is also forgotten after a while. It turns into an entirely different film after the initial setup. However, initial portions of the film are funny with major credit going to Hyper Aadi who just keeps on delivering hilarious one-liners at will.

First half of the film is like a typical rural comedy, but it turns into a suspense drama in the second half. With the detective angle (Avasarala Srinivas) taking the driver's seat, comedy gets sidelined and Meda Meeda Abbayi turns into a boring affair. The director should have kept the comedy intact in spite of the detective angle. He should have been aware of Allari Nareshâ€™s image and made changes accordingly rather sticking to the original screenplay.

Climax portions are interesting with a strong message to the youngsters that are falling into the trap of cyber crime. But the middle portions are literally unbearable for anyone to sit through it. All hit films from Malayalam don't click here because of the nativity problems. Directors have to keep the soul of the film intact and recreate something that appeals to our audience for them to work.

On a whole, Meda Meeda Abbayi has little comedy and a strong message. It might have been a decent film if the middle portions are taken care of. As of now it is just a mundane comedy that offers a very few laughs.